This salad is inspired by one of my favorite salads from Red Mesa Grill in Northern Michigan. I order it every year from their gluten free menu and it is so good, I decided to recreate it at home adding my own spin on it.

The salad has a delicious combination of sweet juicy mango, crunchy cashews, tart cranberries, onion and roasted chicken. The mango dressing is bursting with vitamin C. It is a perfect Summer main dish salad!

Mango Cashew Chicken Salad

Begin with making a marinade for the chicken breasts:

Marinade:

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime

2 Cloves of Smashed Garlic

2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Whisk the marinade together well. Add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a gallon zip bag, and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag, and place it flat in the refrigerator for 3 hours, flipping once halfway through to ensure the chicken is evenly seasoned. You can refrigerate the chicken for up to 24 hours in the marinade.

Blend the mango and olive oil in a blender until completely smooth and creamy. Add the lime juice, salt and cider vinegar and blend to incorporate. Now, add the fresh scallion and cilantro, and pulse the blender just until you can see tiny bits of scallion and cilantro. You want to be able to see it and not completely incorporate it into the dressing.

Preheat the oven to 375° degrees. In a cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium-high. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, and sprinkle them with additional sea salt, and add them to the pan. Brown the breasts two minutes per side, until golden brown, but not cooked through. Place the chicken on a baking sheet, and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or just until the chicken reaches 165° at the center. Remove the chicken from the oven, and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Mound the salad greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of Mango Salad Dressing. Sprinkle the mango, cashews, cranberries, green onion and red onion on top. Slice your cooked chicken breasts on a diagonal (they can still be warm) and arrange the breasts on the top of the salad. Sprinkle with some additional sea salt to taste.

If I go several days without a salad, I start having salad withdrawals. Salads are like a surprise grab bag, there is so much variety. I never get bored with them. If you find them boring, maybe you are eating the same old one every day. One of the best things about salads is they can be an eclectic blend of different ingredients that go well together. The possibilities are vast.

One of my favorite establishments to eat in is a bistro. Bistros have an innovative, electric kind of happy buzz about them. The food isn’t fussy, but it is creative and pretty, and the ones I’ve been to have several kinds of freshly made enticing salads to choose from and many healthy options.

Bistro Lemon Chicken Dinner Salad

Here’s a Bistro Lemon Chicken Dinner Salad recipe you can make at home.

Bistro Lemon Chicken Dinner Salad

Bistro Lemon Chicken Dinner Salad

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts

8 Cups Mixed Baby Romaine Lettuce

1 Can Mandarin Oranges in Their Own Juice (I Used Native Forest Brand)

1/3 Cup of Raw Sliced Almonds

1/4 Cup Fruit Sweetened Dried Cranberries

3 Scallions, sliced

For the Marinade:

Zest of 1 Lemon

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Honey

2 Cloves of Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

The Dressing:

1/4 Cup of Good Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the Oven to 400º degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and brush all over top and bottom with the marinade. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is browning and has reached 165º degrees. Remove the breasts from the oven and let sit at least 15 minutes to retain their juice and cool.

Now you can assemble the salad. Slice the chicken breasts thinly.

Layer the romaine, chicken, oranges, almonds, cranberries and scallions in a large bowl. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss until well coated.

Like this:

One of my favorite cookies of all time is biscotti! It is elegant, and I love the shape! Biscotti means twice baked, and the first documented recipe originated in Italy. You start by baking it in a log shape, letting it cool, and then cutting it into long slices and baking it again so it is crunchy and dry, perfect for dipping in a hot beverage. Biscotti and I have a long history. I am known to get the biscotti jar out when company is over and we are playing cards and having coffee. I am so happy that eating SCD and Paleo doesn’t mean I have to give up my biscotti! This is a wonderful Autumn recipe with pumpkin and tart cranberries that you are sure to love!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five dry ingredients. In a seperate small bowl, melt your honey a few seconds in the microwave, and then whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir together vigorously until a ball forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead in the dried cranberries. Then, place your dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and form into a 14 x 8 inch log. Flatten the top and press the sliced almonds into the top of the dough. It should look like this after it is baked the first time.

Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti Loaf Cooled and Ready to Slice

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack for one hour. Place cooled log on a cutting board and gently slice with a serrated knife on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and return to the oven and bake seven minutes. Remove from oven and turn biscotti to opposite side and continue baking another 7 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

About Me

Hello! I am Sandra, and I am Mom to five, wife and now a grandmother (Mimi) of two grandsons, and a pug Mom! I started this blog as a place to record recipes I was making for myself after being diagnosed with SIBO and low thyroid. I had no idea what I was going to eat and how I would feed my hungry husband and children. I went to school for Health Coaching after I started recovering at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I wanted to have recipes the whole family would enjoy, that were healthy, tasty and made with ingredients that promoted digestive healing and overall health. Taking real food and creating delicious recipes is something I love to do. I believe nutrient dense food gives the body the best sources to be vibrant, healthy, prevent disease, and maintain great energy as well as heal. I am excited to share with others delicious food recipes and tips!

Note:

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